Personal accountability in working life : Exploring the role of accountability in companies operating in the Nordic countries

Sammanfattning

There has been a shift from traditional hierarchical control to a more decentralized, trustbased system, and organizations need to understand how accountability is perceived andexperienced in Nordic work life. As decisions have become more collective and autonomyincreases, organizations need to understand how employees interpret responsibility andaccountability for improved performance, coordination, and clarity. This study falls within thefield of organizational research, more specifically, leadership and accountability research.Accountability is fundamental to the functioning of social systems. Accountability functionsas the “adhesive that binds social systems together,” meaning that without the capacity to callindividuals or organizations to account, there is no basis for shared expectations or socialorder.The purpose of the study is to examine how managers and employees perceive and understandaccountability to be able to improve organizational outcomes. The study follows a qualitativeresearch method with an interpretivist research paradigm and an inductive and abductiveapproach. The data have been collected through semi-structured interviews to delve into theemployees’ thought processes and experiences, and their rationale behind their perspective.This study interviewed 12 different people, each from a different company operating inNordic countries.The result showcases how in Nordic work life, employees have a strong sense of personalresponsibility, while structures in formal accountability remain unclear or diffused tocollective decision-making and autonomy. Creating a tension where shared leadership fostersengagement and trust, but also blurs lines of accountability boundaries, especially in complexsituations. Therefore, accountability can be better understood as a socially constructed processrather than a fixed, formal system.